Tag Archives: She Wore

Two former right backs set for Arsenal return?

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As Mathieu Debuchy edge’s closers to a temporary exit from Arsenal, the talk has now turned to “Will Arsenal get in a replacement.” And with his exit, and other news going on in the footballing world, people, and journalists, and bloggers, and Tweeters alike are putting a lot of 2’s together with a lot of other 2’s in the hope that they come up with a 4.

First of all, we have the situation over at West Ham (we’ve stolen your song) involving Carl Jenkinson.

He seems to have fallen out of favour over in East London, starting just 2 of their last 8 games. With West Ham recently signing Sam Bryam for £3.7million from Leeds, his days are certainly numbered.

There has been a lot of talk that Arsenal might look to break his season long loan deal with the Hammers, bringing him back to provide the back up to Hector Bellerin. But whether this is feasible is unknown.

It is very rare that a season long loan deal is broken, especially when money is involved. West Ham paid £2million for the loan deal. I am sure (but not 100% sure) that if a fee is involved, the deal can not be broken. And if it can be, it would involve Arsenal having to pay back some of the loan fee. I just can not see Arsenal doing this.

Alongside the Jenkinson conundrum, there are reports that West Ham did not really want Bryam until the summer, and only moved now due to Everton sniffing around. There is a chance he could be loaned back to Leeds for the rest of the season, before replacing Jenkinson in the first team squad for 2016/17.

The likelihood is that Jenkinson will not return.

The second option that people seem to be discussing is the return of an Arsenal legend. One of the greatest of all time. Perhaps THE greatest of all time.

Emmanuel Eboue.

Before I start, why does Eboue not yet have a statue? In fact, he deserves more than that, Arsenal should rip up the stadium naming deal, and change it to the Emmanuel Eboue Stadium.

But in all seriousness, news of a return of Eboue to Arsenal has kind of come out of nowhere.

The last anyone knew of him, he was still getting up to high jinks at Galatasaray.

As it turns out, his last appearance for the horrible Turks was on the 19th April 2014.

Having returned to the club for pre-season training for the 2014/15 season, he was informed that he would not be playing.

“I came back for training and I was told I would not be playing,” Eboue was quoted as saying in The Sun “The president told the manager at the time not to pick me.”

As Galatasaray’s number of foreign player limit was full, he played the entire season for the under 21s and his contract recently expired with the club.

He has been quoted as saying as he “would love to come back to Arsenal.”

That’s all well and good, but whether he would be wanted back is another story.

Discarded by the club in favour of Bacary Sagna in 2011, there would be question marks over his fitness having not played a competitive game in 18 months.

A possible scenario could be for him to return to the club just to train and get his fitness back up to standard, like so many before him have done. And then maybe, just maybe, if we are desperate, him to sign on a short term contract till the end of the season.

As far as I know (but I reserve the right to be wrong), as he is on a free transfer, he can be signed outside of the transfer window. But I am not sure where it stands with Premier League registrations.

At 32, he certainly would not have a long term future at the club. Just until this summer if signed. With Jenkinson returning for next season.

 

Personally, I can not see either of the two deals happening. If Debuchy does go, Calum Chambers has the ability to step up and be the second choice right back. That is the route I imagine the club will go.

Then again, there have been reports that the club are looking to loan out Chambers – possibly back to Southampton – for the rest of the season. That would leave us short. Coupled with the fact that Debuchy has not yet gone, it could be that Arsenal are awaiting to get in a replacement for the Frenchman before letting anyway leave. Whether that is Eboue returning, or Jenkinson’s loan deal breaking, who knows?

Whilst I am thinking about full back’s, I watched the Leicester game last night and was highly impressed by young Ben Chilwell. He also impressed me in the first game against Spurs.

Just 19, he looks to have a bright future ahead. Without attempting to hype him up too much (something which Arsenal fans, and football fans in general tend to do) as last night was his first home start for the club, he is clearly a player.

Arsenal should maybe take a risk on him. Sign him now whilst he is a lot cheaper than he could be in 18 months time. Look at Luke Shaw (yes I know he is now injured). Everyone knew about him 18 months before Manchester United signed him. Sides dithered, and he ended up costing around £30million.

The opposite is Dele Alli. Another talented youngster. Spurs jumped in early and snapped him up for £5million. He is not worth double that, maybe even treble, at least. Sometimes you need to take the risk.

Just 19, with him and Bellerin, Arsenal would have their full backs for the next decade.

Of course, Monreal has just signed a new 3 and a half year contract with the club. By the time that ends, he will be 33. Chilwell will be just 22.

A scenario I can easily see happening is Arsenal signing the youngster, leaving him at Leicester for the next 18 months to continue his development, before he returns in 2017 to compete with Monreal for first choice right back.

So there we have my predicitions.

No right back will be signed.

A left back will come in.

Have a good one all!

Keenos

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Theo Walcott left out in the cold

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Theo, Theo Theo Walcott, his an Englishman at Arsenal.

For a long time, I have been a supporter of Theo Walcott. Maybe it is because I back the under dog. Maybe it is because I felt he often came in for some unfair criticism by other fans.

In 2012/13, he was brilliant, it was his breakthrough season. 21 goals in 43 games playing out wide. Yet still some criticised.

The last two seasons, he has been hampered by various injuries, causing him to play just 38 games. He still managed to scored 13 goals.

He seems to have regained some of his fitness this year, playing 20 out of Arsenal’s 32 games. But he has an issue. He has been poor.

Earlier in the season, when played upfront, he looked good. Sharp, quick, direct. It looked as if he was regaining that form of 2012/13. However, a slight injury took him out of the team. His return came in the middle of an injury crisis, which saw him moved to the left hand side.

The first game back was against Olympiacos. With Joel Campbell performing well on the right hand side, and being more natural on the right than left, a decision was clearly made to play the senior player out of position. In this case, Theo Walcott.

He finished the game with glowing praise. Drifting inside from the left at pace, he was electric. A danger.

Next up was Aston Villa. He cut inside Alan Hutton, breaking away at speed, forcing Hutton to bring him down for a penalty. He also played a key part in Arsenal’s second, drifting in from the left to put through Mesuit Ozil who in turn squared it to Aaron Ramsey to score.

Then came his peak moment. Playing against Manchester City. Cutting in and bending one into the top corner. It was Sanchez-esque. It was Pires -esque.

Since that City game, however, Walcott has disappointed. He ha snow gone 6 games without a goal or assist.

Whilst a 6 game barren run is by no means a disaster, just a dip in form, it is his own field attitude which has disappointed.

He has looked disinterested. Unmotivated. He has not bust a gut to get forward. Nor to get back. It is as if he is playing within himself. Struggling to get himself involved.

Now it could be that he is playing with a slight injury, so he is playing at 80% so as to not aggravate it further, and once other players return, we will see him disappear back to the treatment table.

His play has also become predictable. Against Stoke, it was always obvious what he was going to do. Get the ball, and try and cut in on his right. They handled him easily.

What is clear is that Theo Walcott on the left does not work. He is a square peg in a round hole.

Alongside Walcott’s dip in form on the left, Joel Campbell has looked tired at times on the right. Whilst he lasted 90 minutes against Stoke, he was puffing towards the end.

Luckily for Arsenal, players are starting to come back from injury. With Alexis Sanchez returning for Chelsea, he will return to his position on the left hand side. That will give Wenger a decision on the right, Walcott or Campbell.

Personally, he should go for Walcott. The better player. The senior pro. It will also ensure that we do not become too narrow.

Hopefully a return to the right this weekend sees Walcott return to form.

Keenos

Stoke City, Songs, Stoppers & Shagging

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Stoke City

A bit like Liverpool, you are left wondering, was it two points dropped, or one point gained?

Away to Stoke City  is never an easy game. In the 9 games since Stoke got promoted to the Premier League, Arsenal have won just once at the Britannia. Losing 5. So far this season, Stoke have beaten Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United at home.

So a 0-0 draw, when we were without Sanchez, Ozil, Cazorla, Welbeck, Wilshere & Coquelin, in the freezing cold, is not a bad result.

Where it is a bad result is on the back of a draw at Liverpool.

That now puts us without a win in 2 games. With a game at home to Chelsea next up, that could easily become no win in 3. In a game where momentum and winning runs is so important, no wins in 3 would be presented as a bit of a mini-crisis, a dip in form.

Despite that, it is a hard run. Draws away to Liverpool, away to Stoke City, and (potentially) at home to Chelsea are, on their own, decent results. Good points earnt. But put together in consecutive games will change the press narrative.

Look at it another way, our title challengers this season are Manchester City.

They have so far played Stoke City and Liverpool once. They have two defeats. 0 points. We have played both sides twice. 1 win, 3 draws. 5 points. So even if Manchester City win both their remaining games against Liverpool & Stoke, it is only a net gain of 1 points over us. Not too bad when you think who disappointed we might feel over the last two results.

The other positive is that it is one less away game left this season. We not have just 7 away games remaining. Manchester City have 9.

The importance of this can be seen in the home and away league tables this season:Homeaway

Our home and away form has been excellent. Man City’s away form has been poor. The way games fall could be crucial to the title run in.

Songs

There has been a lot of discussions about songs since the Stoke game.

In the first case, we have Stoke City. Once again, they booed Aaron Ramsey’s name, sung songs about him, cheered Ryan Shawcross, and the sponsors once again named Shawcross as Man of the Match.

I have previously given my opinion on this ‘abuse’ and do not have a problem with it.

The only people it embarrasses are Stoke fans.Stoke

Stoke fans actually show themselves up as being a bit of a joke. Firstly trying to start off “Stand up if you hate Arsenal” – it was the only time other than Delilah that there fans actually made any half decent noise. Then way the way they have responded to Arsenal fan’s having a go at them for abusing Ramsey.

They say Arsenal fans are being oversensitive with the issue. That we are being pansies. Yet the reason they say they abuse Ramsey is because he did not accept Shawcross’s apology. His hand shake. Did not respond to his text.

How sensitive do you want to be? It is the footballing equivalent of “I’m not your friend anymore”. Stoke fans need to man up. Admit they abuse Ramsey because they have deep rooted anger issues. Not because Ramsey refused to accept an apology from a player who nearly ended his career.

And if the later is the real reason for the abuse, it is the Stoke fans who need to be a little bit less sensitive over the issue.

The second part of ‘song gate´ is the supposed stealing of a West Ham song which fans sang about Mesut Ozil. I am not going to go into the debate too much, but both sides of the argument can be found quite easily on Twitter. Will be interested to here what side of the argument you all fall down on.

Should we only be coming up with our own, unique songs? Or is it a case of every song in football is stolen from someone else? Whether it be another Premier League side, a lower league side, or Europe?

Stoppers

Back to the Stoke City game, it was a drab 0-0 draw, lit up by the performance of the two goal keepers.

Petr Cech is a world class keeper. It makes me wonder how many more trophies would we have won had we been able to sign him back in 2002 when his work permit was rejected.

At the other end, it Jack Butland properly impressed me. A few have dug out Olivier Giroud for 2 misses (the usual suspects) but it was two brilliant saves to stop him.

Here is a kid who is getting better and better. Still just 22 (23 in March – does that make him 23 now? I get confused). Everyone has known about his talent for years. Anyone who has read the brilliant Nowhere Men would have been well aware of his talent, and what scouts up and down the country thought of him.

Moving to a smaller side like Stoke was good for his career, as it mean game time. But he surely can not be too far from a move to a bigger club. If De Gea leaves Manchester United, I can see him going there, or if Liverpool look for an upgrade on Mignolet, that is another option.

Could Arsenal perhaps to a deal for him similar to what Stoke did when signing him from Birmingham? Pay upfront for Butland now, but he does not join the club for 2 or 3 years? By that time Cech will be 36, Butland 25 and probably England’s number one. It would be an investment worth doing.

Shagging

There was no shagging this weekend. Although I am sure somewhere in Stoke, someone shagged their sister.

Keenos